The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Opening with his childhood fascination with the river that shares his name, Talbott provides a survey of Hudson River history from its glacial origins and times with early Native American and European settlers through its industrial development and environmental degradation to its new hope for reclamation through citizen action. The clearly written, chronological account also touches on the Revolutionary War, the movement from sail to steam, the importance of the Erie Canal and the river’s role in literature and art. With watercolors, colored pencil and ink, the environmentally sensitive author/illustrator has created lushly detailed paintings that tell the story both literally and symbolically. Insets including maps and a stream motif winding through the pages add further information. These images will carry readers along through a moderately difficult but well-paced text. The bibliography includes adult reading but also websites accessible to the middle-grade audience. Libraries that already own Robert Baron and Thomas Locker’s The Hudson: A Story of a River (2004) will want this one as well, for its lively narrative and admiring affection. (Nonfiction. 8-11)

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